It has heretofore been proposed to provide an oil spillage detector system in which a detector housing is disposed in partially submerged, buoyant state in a body of water. The spilled oil is collected in a chamber of the buoyant detector for indicating its presence and usually for pumping of the detected oil into a recovery container. Detectors for such systems using water-repellant, oil-passing filter material and floating or partially submerged in water are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,719,936 of Mar. 6, 1973 to Daniels et al, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,997 of Apr. 4, 1978 to Ohtsu et al. A detector making use of vortical circulation for separating oil and water collected in a device floating in water is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,182 of July 26, 1977 to Jenkins.
The separation of oil from water in a captive environment such as while contained in containers, pipes and the like can be accomplished by known means such as in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,742,974, 4,031,839, 4,091,830 wherein polymer imbiber materials, or oil absorbent materials are interposed into the system for the purpose.
The location, collection and recovery of liquid pollutants such as hydrocarbons, which have escaped from control by reason of spillage, or leakage into the bilge of a vessel has long presented a serious problem.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,579 of May 9, 1978 to Yoshioka approaches the problem of recovering oil from bilge water by pumping the bilge water from the bottom of the vessel up into a coarse separator tank, at a higher level, whereupon a layer of oil gradually builds up on the water. Within the environment of the closed pressurized container, float switch means actuates an upper oil effluent pump and a lower water effluent pump in accordance with the change of level of the oil/water interface.
None of the above mentioned prior art patents disclose a solution to the problem of locating, collecting and recovering liquid pollutants such as hydrocarbons which have spilled or leaked from above ground or underground containers to spread with the flow of groundwater down into the static water table to thereby pollute water wells and running streams or invade the cellars of buildings for an extensive area therearound.